Minister for Health (Australia)

Minister for Health
Incumbent
Sussan Ley
since 23 December 2014
Department of Health
Style The Honourable
Appointer Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder Frank Tudor
Formation 13 November 1908
Minister for Rural Health
Incumbent
Fiona Nash
since 18 September 2013
Department of Health
Style The Honourable
Appointer Governor-General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister of Australia
Inaugural holder Christopher Pyne
Formation 30 January 2007

The Australian Minister for Health and Minister for Aged Care is the Hon. Sussan Ley MP, since 23 December 2014.

The Australian Minister for Rural Health is Senator the Hon. Fiona Nash, since 18 September 2013.

The Australian Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care is the Hon. Ken Wyatt AM, MP, since 30 September 2015.[1]

In the Government of Australia, the ministers are responsible for national health and medical research policy. The minister provides direction and oversight of the Department of Health.

History

Under Section 55(ix) of the Australian Constitution, the Commonwealth Parliament had the power to "make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth with respect to Quarantine." This was the only area of public health in which the Commonwealth had authority at the time of Federation. The federal parliament did not use this power until the proclamation of the Quarantine Act 1908,[2] on 30 March 1908. The control of the administration of quarantine was under the administration of the Minister for Trade and Customs from 1908 until 1921. This Minister's responsibilities in health matters increased as the Australian Government took a greater role in the provision of public health services during the early 20th century, in particular after the First World War.

A separate Department of Health was established on 10 March 1921, and the position of Minister for Health was then formally created. The role of the Department of Health has continued to expand and further federal responsibility for health was authorised by the passage, at referendum, of a constitutional amendment in 1946.

Section 51 (xxiiiA) of the Constitution now states the Commonwealth (federal) Parliament has the power to

make laws for the peace, order and good government of the Commonwealth [of Australia] with respect to the provision of maternity allowances, widows' pensions, child endowment, unemployment, pharmaceutical, sickness and hospital benefits, medical and dental services (but not so as to authorise any form of civil conscription), benefits to students and family allowances.

As a result of this amendment the federal government now has a key role in financing and providing medical services through entities such as Medicare and the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.

From 1972 to 1975 under Doug Everingham, the Ministry was named the "Ministry of Helth [sic]" in some informal contexts due to Everingham's support of Spelling Reform.[3][4][5]

List of health ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Health, or any of its precedent titles:[6]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Frank Tudor   Labor Fisher Minister for Trade and Customs 13 November 1908 2 June 1909 201 days
2 Robert Best Commonwealth Liberal Deakin 2 June 1909 29 April 1910 331 days
n/a Frank Tudor Labor Fisher 29 April 1910 24 June 1913 3 years, 56 days
3 Littleton Groom Commonwealth Liberal Cook 24 June 1913 17 September 1914 1 year, 85 days
n/a Frank Tudor Labor Fisher 17 September 1914 27 October 1915 1 year, 363 days
Hughes 27 October 1915 14 September 1916
4 Billy Hughes 29 September 1916 14 November 1916 46 days
5 William Archibald National Labor 14 November 1916 17 February 1917 95 days
6 Jens Jensen Nationalist 17 February 1917 13 December 1918 1 year, 299 days
7 William Watt 13 December 1918 17 January 1919 35 days
8 Walter Massy-Greene 17 January 1919 21 December 1921 4 years, 19 days
Minister for Health 10 March 1921 5 February 1923
9 Austin Chapman Bruce 9 February 1923 26 May 1924 1 year, 107 days
n/a Littleton Groom 26 May 1924 13 June 1924 18 days
10 Herbert Pratten 13 June 1924 16 January 1925 217 days
11 Sir Neville Howse 16 January 1925 2 April 1927 2 years, 76 days
12 Stanley Bruce 2 April 1927 24 February 1928 328 days
n/a Sir Neville Howse 24 February 1928 22 October 1929 1 year, 240 days
13 Frank Anstey Labor Scullin 22 October 1929 3 March 1931 1 year, 132 days
14 John McNeill 3 March 1931 6 January 1932 309 days
15 Charles Marr United Australia Lyons 6 January 1932 12 October 1934 2 years, 279 days
n/a Billy Hughes 12 October 1934 6 November 1935 1 year, 25 days
16 Joseph Lyons 6 November 1935 26 February 1936 112 days
n/a Billy Hughes 26 February 1936 29 November 1937 1 year, 276 days
17 Sir Earle Page Country 29 November 1937 7 November 1938 343 days
18 Harry Foll United Australia 7 November 1938 7 April 1939 170 days
Page 7 April 1939 26 April 1939
19 Sir Frederick Stewart United Australia Menzies 26 April 1939 14 March 1940 323 days
20 Harold Thorby Country 14 March 1940 28 October 1940 228 days
n/a Sir Frederick Stewart United Australia 28 October 1940 29 August 1941 344 days
Fadden 29 August 1941 7 October 1941
21 Jack Holloway Labor Curtin 7 October 1941 21 September 1943 1 year, 349 days
22 James Fraser 21 September 1943 6 July 1945 1 year, 288 days
Forde 6 July 1945 13 July 1945 7 days
Chifley 13 July 1945 18 June 1946 340 days
23 Nick McKenna 18 June 1946 19 December 1949 3 years, 184 days
n/a Sir Earle Page Country Menzies 19 December 1949 11 January 1956 6 years, 23 days
24 Donald Cameron Liberal 11 January 1956 22 December 1961 5 years, 345 days
25 Harrie Wade Country 22 December 1961 18 November 1964 2 years, 332 days
26 Reginald Swartz Liberal 21 November 1964 26 January 1966 1 year, 66 days
27 Jim Forbes Holt 26 January 1966 19 December 1967 5 years, 55 days
McEwen 19 December 1967 10 January 1968
Gorton 10 January 1968 10 March 1971
McMahon 10 March 1971 22 March 1971
28 Ivor Greenwood 22 March 1971 2 August 1971 133 days
29 Sir Ken Anderson 2 August 1971 5 December 1972 1 year, 125 days
30 Lance Barnard1 Labor Whitlam 5 December 1972 19 December 1972 14 days
31 Doug Everingham Minister for Health2 19 December 1972 11 November 1975 2 years, 327 days
32 Don Chipp Liberal Fraser Minister for Health 11 November 1975 22 December 1975 41 days
33 Ralph Hunt National Country 22 December 1975 8 December 1979 3 years, 351 days
34 Michael MacKellar Liberal 8 December 1979 20 April 1982 2 years, 133 days
35 Peter Baume 20 April 1982 7 May 1982 17 days
36 Jim Carlton 7 May 1982 11 March 1983 308 days
37 Neal Blewett Labor Hawke 11 March 1983 24 July 1987 7 years, 24 days
Minister for Community Services and Health 24 July 1987 4 April 1990
38 Brian Howe 4 April 1990 7 June 1991 2 years, 354 days
Keating Minister for Health, Housing and Community Services 7 June 1991 24 March 1993
39 Graham Richardson Minister for Health 24 March 1993 25 March 1994 1 year, 1 day
40 Carmen Lawrence Minister for Human Services and Health 25 March 1994 11 March 1996 1 year, 352 days
41 Michael Wooldridge Liberal Howard Minister for Health and Family Services 11 March 1996 21 October 1998 5 years, 260 days
Minister for Health and Aged Care 21 October 1998 26 November 2001
42 Kay Patterson Minister for Health and Ageing 26 November 2001 7 October 2003 1 year, 315 days
43 Tony Abbott 7 October 2003 3 December 2007 4 years, 57 days
44 Nicola Roxon Labor Rudd 3 December 2007 24 June 2010 4 years, 8 days
Gillard 24 June 2010 11 December 2011
45 Tanya Plibersek Minister for Health 11 December 2011 1 July 2013 1 year, 281 days
Rudd Minister for Health and Medical Research 1 July 2013 18 September 2013
46 Peter Dutton   Liberal National Abbott Minister for Health 18 September 2013 23 December 2014 1 year, 96 days
47 Sussan Ley Liberal 23 December 2014 15 September 2015 1 year, 89 days
Turnbull 15 September 2015 incumbent

Notes

1 Barnard was part of a two-man ministry that comprised just Gough Whitlam and Barnard for fourteen days, until the full ministry was announced.
2 Doug Everingham was a supporter of Spelling Reform and he preferred to spell it "Helth", but this was not the formal spelling of the portfolio's name (see above).

List of rural health ministers

The following individuals have been appointed as Minister for Rural Health, or any of its precedent titles:[6]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Warren Snowdon Labor Rudd Minister for Indigenous Health, Rural and Regional Health and Regional Services Delivery 9 June 2009 24 June 2010 4 years, 101 days
Gillard 24 June 2010 14 September 2010
Minister for Indigenous Health 14 September 2010 27 June 2013
Rudd 27 June 2013 18 September 2013
2 Fiona Nash   Nationals Turnbull Minister for Rural Health 21 September 2015 Incumbent 182 days

List of assistant ministers for health and aged care

The following individuals have been appointed as the Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care, or any of its precedent titles:[6]

Order Minister Party Prime Minister Title Term start Term end Term in office
1 Christopher Pyne   Liberal Howard Assistant Minister for Health and Ageing 30 January 2007 21 March 2007 50 days
2 Fiona Nash   Nationals Abbott Assistant Minister for Health 18 September 2013 15 September 2015 2 years, 3 days
Turnbull 15 September 2015 21 September 2015
3 Ken Wyatt AM Liberal Turnbull Assistant Minister for Health and Aged Care 30 September 2015 Incumbent 173 days

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Health ministers of Australia.

References

  1. ↑ Massola, James (13 February 2016). "Cabinet reshuffle: Malcolm Turnbull announces new frontbench as Mal Brough resigns". The Age. Retrieved 13 February 2016.
  2. ↑ "Communicable Diseases Surveillance: Surveillance Systems". Department of Health and Ageing. Commonwealth of Australia. 12 February 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2013.
  3. ↑ Sampson, Geoffrey (1990). Writing Systems. Stanford University Press. p. 197.
  4. ↑ Fairbairn, David (12 September 1973). "Second Reading (Budget Debate) Appropriation Bill (No. 1) 1973-74" (PDF). Australian House of Representatives Hansard. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  5. ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20101231123334/http://www.englishspellingsociety.org:80/journals/j9/sr1.php. Archived from the original on 31 December 2010. Retrieved 11 April 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. 1 2 3 "Ministries and Cabinets". 43rd Parliamentary Handbook: Historical information on the Australian Parliament. Parliament of Australia. 2010. Retrieved 9 July 2013.

External links

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